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INTRODUCTION
Public relations is the practice of getting attention and shaping public opinion. Its
tools include publicity, advertising, public affairs forums, lobbying public officials
and any other means that can get a message out to the public. Mostly it is about
placing stories in the media, getting newspaper, radio and television to accept
stories or messages sourced from PR agencies. It is the science and art of
influencing people͛s perceptions. As individuals, we build perceptions of the
world around us based on the inputs we receive. Those inputs include traditional
media, daily experiences, conversations, interactions and more. It is also involved
with every aspect of how people encounter information and make sense out of it.
Thus PR is simply managing communication between the public and the
organization.

The Tylenol Crisis

Before the crisis Tylenol was one of the most successful over-the-counter product
in the United States with one million users. In 1982 a malevolent person replaced
Tylenol extra length capsules with cyanide laced capsules, resealed the packages
and placed them on the shelves of at least a half dozen stores in Chicago. These
poison laced capsules were purchased and seven unsuspecting people died a
horrible death. As soon as Johnson & Johnson (the parent company of Tylenol)
came to know about the deaths, they formed a seven member strategy team. The
main aim of this team was to protect the consumers and not protect their
product. Therefore they recalled all Tylenol bottles, stopped their production and
advertising. They also set help line numbers for consumers to call and inquire
concerning safety of Tylenol. Press coverage was carried out in the head quarters.

Remedies were taken so that this incident doesn͛t occur again. They
communicated their new triple safety packaging-a glued box, a plastic sear over
the neck of the bottle and a foil seal over the neck of the bottle, with the press
conference at the manufacturer͛s head quarters. Johnson & Johnson was the first
company that came up with tamper resisting packaging just after 6 months after
the crisis occurred. Hence the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol crisis is an example of
how an organization should communicate during a crisis. The organization͛s
leadership set the example from the beginning by making public safety the
organization͛s number one concern. Today Johnson & Johnson was completely
recovered their market share lost during the crisis. The organization was able to
reestablish the Tylenol brand name as one of the most trusted over-the-counter
consumer products in America.

Conclusion
Thus PR helped Tylenol to recover its loss. Hence PR is very essential for a
company͛s growth. One cannot quantify the loss if PR is not used but companies
which use it can see the benefits. PR can help in building a positive image and
thus help to minimize damage when something goes wrong. It helps to manage
the information by which people form their opinions. It is cost effective and
creditable. It is an on-going process. Hence the scope of PR is far reaching and
encompasses several industries and sectors.